Machine for printing oil-cloth



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N. TUCK. MACHINE FOR PRINTING OIL CLOTH;

No.- 377,789; Patented Feb 14. 188-8.

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. MACHINE FOR PRINTING OIL CLOTH. I No. 377,789. Patented Feb. 14, 1888,

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MAGHINE POE PRINTING 01 CLOTH.

No. 377,789. Patented Feb. 14, 1888.

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I .Wblimeooa5 (No Model 6 Sheets-Sheet 5. I 'N. L.'TUCK MACHINE FOR PRINTINGOIL GLOIH. No. 377,789. Patented Feb. 14, 1888.

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NELSON LEWIS TUOK, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

MACHINE FOR PRINTING OIL-CLOTH.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 377,789, dated February 14, 1888.

Application filed Aprl125, 1887.

T at whom it may-concern.-

Be it known that I, N ELsoN LEwIs TUcK, a

citizen of the United States, formerly of Chicopee, Massachusetts, but now residing at Phila- .delphia, in the county of Philadelphia, and

State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Block Printing Machines for Printing Oil Cloths and other Fabrics, of which the following is a specification. I

Nature and objects of the inoent i0n.-The object of my invention is the construction ofa simple, durable, and easily operated machine for printing, with rapidity and precision, in one or more colors, such prepared fabrics as constitute the body or foundation web of floor and other oil cloths.

Broadly stated, my invention comprehends the combination, in "an automatic machine,

possessing a fixed bed upon which the fabric to be printed is laid and along which it is caused to travel, ofthe following cooperating instrumentalities:first, an intermittentlyoperating fabric feed adapted to intermittently act upon the fabric to be printed, and advance it along the printing bed; second, feed-operating mechanism for first advancing the feed engaged with the fabric a predetermined distance, and for then occasioning the retreat of said, feed disengaged from said fabric; third, a series of tumbling,'oscillatory, or reciproeating reversing, block carriers, equipped each as to its printing face with any preferred form of printing block; fourth, block-carrier-actuating mechanism adapted to alternately occasion .the simultaneous descent of the block carriers upon the fabric on the bed, and the simultaneous reversal and ascent of said block carriers from the bed against color-supplying Serial No. 235,982. (No model.)

face to cushion the printing block when 'applied against it, and with a doctor for removing the surplus paint from the apron after its passage through the trough and before itspresentation upon saidelastic bed, and further supplied with suitable means for occasioning I the intermittent travel of the apron duringthe interval when the printing block has left its ,surface to descend upon the fabric to be printed ;and the construction of a special intermittently-operating fabric-feed for acting upon one or both margins of the fabric along such part of its extent as is'for the time being beneath the block-carriers.

Machinery embodying my invention in a practical form is represented, in the accompanying drawings and described in this specification, the-particularsubject-matter claimed as novel being hereinafter definitely specified. I

' Description of the Drawings.ln the draw ings, Figure 1 is a side elevation of a machine embodying my improvements, the block-carriers being represented down upon the bed and the feed in its advanced position.

through the said machine representedinFig. 1, in the plane of the dotted line 1 1 of Fig. 3 and sight being taken in the direction of the arrows upon said linef-the bloek-carriers' being represented up against the color-supplying aprons, and the 'feed in its retreated position. Fig. 3 is a right hand end elevational view of the machine represented in Fig. 1. Fig. 4is aleft hand end elevational view of the machine represented in Fig. 1-. In Fig. 3 the block-carriers are up against the color-supplying aprons, while in Fig. 4 they are down upon the bed. 1 Fig. 5' is IOO a transverse, sectional, elevation through the machine represented in Fig. 1 in the plane of the dotted line 2 20f said Fig. 1, and'sight being taken in the direction of the arrows Fig. 2' is a longitudinal, vertical, sectional elevation" upon said line. Fig. 6 is a transverse, sec-j tional, fragmentary elevation through a portion of the machine of Fig. 1 in planes of the dotted line 3 3 of said Fig. 1, and sight being taken in the direction of the arrows upon said 5 line. The view is especially designed to illustrate the feed. cam, the feed levers, and the transverseyoke between said levers. Fig. 7 is a fragmentary perspective detail of a portion of the main shaft, one of the bevel spur wheels upon said shaft, and the lever for shifting said spur wheel. Fig. 8 is a side elevational view of a color-feed device which I prefer to employ. Fig. 9 is a left hand end elevational view of the color-feed device of Fig. 8. Fig. 10 is a longitudinal, vertical, sectional elevation through the bottom board, pad board, and pad, of said color-feed device of Figs. 8 and 9. Fig. 11 is afragmentary side elevational detail of a portion of one of the pairs of fabric feed bars, in the position which said bars occupy when their connecting links are straightened and the bars apart to the limit of their separation. Fig. 12 is atop plan View of a portion of one of the under feed bars of a given pair of bars. Fig. 13 is a transverse sectional elevation through the bars of a pair of feed bars and through one of their connecting links. Fig. 14is afragmentary, transverse, sectional detail through aportion of the bed and one of the slotted standards, showing the application of the under bar of a pair of fabric feed bars, shown in section, to its grooved way in the bed. Fig. 15 is a frag mentary side elevational view of a portion of one of the standards and of one of the pitman couplings by which the pitmen are connected with the block-carrier pivot pins. Fig. 16 is a top plan view of the devices represented in Fig. 15, the standard being horizontally sectioned in the plane of the dotted line 4 4 of said Fig. 15. Fig. 17 is a fragmentary plan of the feed cam, driven pinion, and main shaft, and of the back gear for throwing said feed cam into or out of operation. Fig. 18 is a magnified side elevational detail of one of the slotted standards and a portion of the framework, representing as applied thereto and down upon the bed a modified form of block carrier which can be employed as a substitute for the block carriers represented in the other figuresof the drawings. Fig. 19 is a fragmentary partly sectional and partly elevational view of a clutch device which may be employed as a substitute for the sprocket chain device represented in Figs. 1 to 5, for actuating the driving roller of the color feed apron. Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts.

Thefi*a1ne-w02'7t.'lhe frame-work is of any preferred character, and is conveniently composed of side frames,which are designated by the letter A, and of a level bed a supported in a horizontal plane between said side frames.

B are a series of slotted standards,vertical ly 5 erected in consecutive opposite pairs from the respective side frames and forming a fixed portion of the frame-work.

The frame work as an entirety may be mounted upon pillow blocks or pedestals, or, as is desirable in oil cloth manufacture, upon rollers or trucks so that the machine may be readily moved. The bed may be made of any desired width, conveniently that of a standard oil cloth fabric. Upon the feeding end of the bed is mounted a tension or pressure roller 0, under which the fabric fed upon the bed of the machine is caused to travel. The gudgeons c of this roller are journaled in boxings c free for vertical movement in slotted rollerstandards 0 erected at each side of the bed. This construction permits the roller to ride over fabrics of different thicknesses.

The fabric feed.The fabric feed device which I prefer to employ is a draft or traction device composed of two pairs of parallel-bar clamps, each pair preferably of about the length of the bed, and one applied at each side of said bed. Each of these clamps is composed of two feed bars D D connected together by links d, pivoted, within recesses therein, to the respective bars, so that the latter are connected after the well known manner of the two members of 'a parallel ruler. The length of the bar-connecting links is such that when said links are straightened and the bars in consequence apart the full limit of their separation, as shown in Fig. 11, the distance between the opposing faces of the bars is greater thanthe thickness of the thickest fabric intended to be fed.

The under face of the upper bar D is preferably provided with teeth, as shown, or is notched, serrated, or roughened in any preferred manner. If desired, the upper face of the under bar D maybe similarly toothed or roughened. Each of the under bars of each pair of feed bars, is conveniently provided with lateral basal flanges d", and the under barof each pairis thereby adapted to be seated within longitudinally extending grooved ways a Figs. 8, 4, 5, 6 and 14, formed along the lateral edges of the bed in such manner that when the aforesaid under bars are within the aforesaid ways the upper faces of said bars are flush with the carrying level or face of the bed.

d, Fig. 14, is a guard, a series of which are applied to the standards to retain the upper feed bars in proper position during their longitudinal movement.

Assuming the machine to be constructed for the printing of a web of fabric of some standard Width, the breadth of the bed is such that the edges of the fabric traveling over said bed extend on each side-between the respective feed bars of each pair of feed bars. Traction simultaneously exerted, in the direction of the intended travel of the web upon the bed, upon the two upper feed bars D of each pair, will, as is manifest, occasion a forward deflection of the bar-connecting links and the descent of each upper feed bar toward the under feed bar with which it is connected and upon that edge of the fabric which, for the, time being, is be- IOO ' e-rm'es 2 tween the bars of each pair, so as'to occasion the gripping of such edge between each pair of bars. Continued traction similarly applied will occasion the advance of'each pair of feed bars compressed together, or in grip upon the fabric, through their grooved ways, and with them of the said'fabric, a distance equal to the advance movement of said bars. A reverse thrust simultaneously applied'to the two upper feed bars will occasion the straightening of the links until, for convenience, they encounter shoulders 11 formed uponthe feed bars, and are thereby maintained at right angles to the bars, having, of course, released their grip upon the fabric, in which position a continuance of said reverse thrust will cause the retreat of each pair of bars in release upon the fabric to their normal position, the fabric remaining in its advanced position.

The feed actuating deviccs.-The specific means by which'this intermittent advanceand retreat of the fabric feed bars represented is.

occasioned is not of importance,--and many devices can be employed for the purpose. I have found a suitable .contrivance to be the following.

E is a driving shaft suitably housed, conveniently in hangers-e, centrally beneath the bed and extending in the direction of the length of the machine. This shaft is adapted to be driven by one or more pulleys E", and near the delivery end of the machine is provided with a fixed driven pinion e", and adjacent to said pinion with a looselyapplied .or rotatable feed cam F, fixedly provided with a cam spur wheel F by, means of which said feed cam is rotated. The camis circumscribed by a continuous cam groove f of suitable curvature to occasion, as hereinafter explained, the oscillation of a pair of feed levers H.

G is a counter shaft suspended in hangers g in parallelism with the driving shaft and, as shown, slightly above and to the left hand of said shaft. Upon the counter shaft is mounted an eccentric hub or sleeve 9*, Fig. 17,of the lengthof the feed cam, and said sleeve is .at its outer extremity formed or fixedly provided with a sleeve pinion g which faces and is adapted to engage with the teeth of the cam spur wheel F", and at its inner extremity formed or fixedly provided with a sleeve spur wheel g which faces and is adapted to be engaged with the teeth of the driven pinion 0 The eccentric sleeve, sleeve, pinion, and sleeve spur wheel, being a connected whole, are adapted for eccentric movement with or upon the counter shaft G as an axis, and said counter shaft is so disposed relatively to the driv-' ing shaft that the sleeve pinion g and sleeve spur wheel 9 canjat will, be engaged with or disengaged from the cam spur wheel 1i and.

the driven pinion e andv so disposed also that when engaged they will remain in engagement.

is a handle, conveniently connected with the sleeve pinion, by the aid of which the eccentric movement described can be imparted to said sleeve pinion and spur wheel.

' As will be apparent, this device, which is in the nature of a back gear to alathe, has for its object simply the rotation or the rest of the feed cam,-engagement effecting rotationand disengagement securing rest. The entire back gear device described is simply one of convenience to permit of the ready throwing out of action of the fabric-feed, when, for instance, it is desired to impart two impressions of the blocks to the same face area of the fabric to be printed, without in the interim between the impressions occasioning the advance of said fabric. e i

H are two feed levers respectively oppositely pivoted upon fulcrum pins h to the side frames ofthe machine, and as to their lower arms conveniently connected by a transverse yoke h Fig. 6, bridging beneath the feedcain and the back gear and equipped with a cam lug h, conveniently in the form of a roller, engaged in the cam groove f of the feed cam F. As will be apparent, rotation of the feed cam will occasion the forward and back oscillation of the yoke of the feed levers and with said yoke of said levers. The upper arms of the feed levers are respectively provided with internally oppositely projecting adjustable lever pins h, which are respectively engaged with lever housings D Figs. 1, 2 and 11, respectively applied to the upper ordraft feed bars D of each pair of feed bars.

These lever housings D are conveniently made as vertical plates one erected from the upper surface of each upper feed bar D, and each housing is conveniently internally triangularly recessed to present a reversing faced against which the lever pinh of the feed lever operating in connection ,with said-housing exerts its thrust to occasion the retreat ofthe pair of feed bars in question; and also to present a draft face d, included between the upper portion of the recess ofthe housing 7 and the dotted line 5 5 of Fig. 11, against which said lever pin acts to occasion the advance of said pair of feed bars, and alsoan idle face d included between the said line 5 5 and the IIO bottom of the recess, against which saidlever pin, as the lever completes its forward throw, runs idle without exerting any traction upon the feed bars. It will now be understood that a half turn of the feed camwill occasion such a backward oscillation of the upper extremities of the feed levers as will occasion the retreat of both pair of feed bars, andthat afurther half .turn will occasion such a forward oscillation of said extremities of said levers,

as will occasion the advance of both pair of L feed levers a predetermined distance, being the desired limit of advance of the feed bars, and equal to the breadth of the printing face of a block-carrier. said forward oscillation of said feed levers is, as stated, without effect upon the feed bars.

As will be hereinafter explained, the driving shaft is the prime motor of the machine as represented in the drawings, and, through connected instrumentalities, occasions byits own rotation the ascent and descehtoffthe.

The final completion of I block carriers, and therefore it is that, as the feed cam is connected with and rotated by said driving shaft, there exists a necessity for the provision of some such lost motion contrivance as the idle faces of the lever housings, in order to cause the feed to cease to act an instant before the bloclccarriers are caused to descend upon thefabric advanced by said feed. For, without the provision of the idle faces, as the machine is organized, in as much as the feed levers do not complete their forward oscillation 'until the feed cam completes that half turn which occasions said advance, the fabric would be in movement by the feed even after the printing faces of the printing blocks had commenced to graze its surface and the instant before their ultimate pressure was imparted to them, with the result that the pattern would be imperfectly printed and the colors smeared. It is, of course, apparent that the necessity for the provision bf the specific means above de scribed for so timing the respective movements of the feed and the printing block-carriers that the feed ceases to act to advance the fabric.

an instant before the block-carriers descend upon the fabric so advanced, can be obviated by so forming the cam groovef, or so timing the movement of the feed-cam itself that it ceases its action to occasion the forward oscillation of the feed levers before the driving shaft completes its full rotation necessary as hereinafter explained to occasion the ultimate pressure of the printing block-carriers upon the fabric, and therefore obvious that the idle faces are devices of convenience.

A fabric feed such as the foregoing and made double so as to act upon both edges of the fabric to be advanced, is such a feed as I prefer to employ. It is proper for me to state, however, that other forms of fabric feeding device adapted to co operate with tumbling or reciprocating block carriers can be substituted for said feed, and also that it is quite possible, in connection with suitable tension -regulating contrivances and devices for preventingunintentional backward movement of the fabric, to provide and operate the machine in connection with a fabric feed which acts upon but one edge of the fabric,-a single pair of feed bars, such,

for instance, as those described, being adapted to accomplish the feedingof said fabric.

Fabric retaining devices-In order to prevent any possible backward movement of the fabric after it has been fed or advanced, I prefer to provide at each side of the bed near the delivery end thereof, a pivoted toe cam I, conveniently pivoted against cam standards i erected from the side frames, the said cams being each controlled by a spring i to maintain them constantly in bite as to their cam faces upon the upper level of the margin of the fabric. Of course these toe cams do not hinder the operation of the feed, as the form of their acting faces is such that the fabric readily slips under them in one direction, raising them and compressingtheir springs; the fabric,however, as the feed retreats, is by said cams, under stress of their springs, retained against backward movement. It is of advantage to apply additional toe cams between the tension roller and the first block-carrier, but I have not considered it necessary to illustrate their application. 1

The block carriera-K are the block carriers, and K any usual or preferred printing blocks which are removablyapplied and secured to the faces of said carriers in any preferred manner.

In speaking of the block-carriers, I, for greater convenience,include the blocks,which, of course, are the printing devices strictly as such, while the carriers are the devices which carry and actuate them,-and in the claims I employ the term printing-block-carriers to include both the carrier and the printing block or printing instrumentality per 86. As all of these block-carriers are of the same construction, employed in any desired series, and operated simultaneously and similarly by simul taneously operating and similar mechanical devices, it will be sufiicient .to describe the construction and mode of operation of but one of them,-it being, of course, understood that although the machine represented in the drawings employs three block-carriers, fewer or a greater number than three can be employed.

The carrier proper K, is a plate of any preferred construction and material, wide enough to extend across the breadth of any web of fabric the bed is adapted to receive, and right angularly disposed with respect to that pair of slotted standards B in connection with which it operates. Oonfining my description to the first seventeen figures of the drawings, the block-carrier is provided at-its sides with a pair of companion or counter-part tumbler plates 70, which are in the nature of wings, webs, or sides, erected, preferably at right angles to the plane of the face of the carrier, at each side thereof. Each of these tumbler plates is provided with a carrier pivot pin k, the said pins being in opposite alignment and being together the fulcrum or pivotal axis with respect to which the carrier proper tumbles, oscillates, partially rotates, or reverses in ascending and descending, performing a movement hereinafter referred to in the claims by the qualifying expression reciprocating reversing. Each of these tumbler plates is also provided with a pair of tumbler pin ways k If, adapted in the ascent and descent of the block carriers to be respectively engaged with tumbler pins 1) b projecting internally, as shown in the drawings, fromthe respective slotted standards with reference to which the block carrier ascends and descends. The carrier pivot pins are conveniently of a diameter equal to the breadth of the vertical slots on the standards B so as to fill said slots, and project outwardly through their respective standards.

The blockcarrier-actuating devices.-It will be apparent that when the block carrier has descended and is resting level upon the fabric to be printed, as represented in Figs. 1 and 4,.its tumbler pin ways It will be engaged with the tumbler pins b?. It will also be apparentthat if the carrier pivot pins in" are then caused to ascend through their slots in the slotted standards, the carrier with which they are connected will be raised from 0d the bed, and, by the engagement of its tumbler pins bwith the pin ways If, will be tumbled, or partlyrotated, or oscillated, until its tumbler pin ways 70' engage with the tumbler pins 1), and by said last named engagement will be further tumbled, partly rotated, or oscillated until it, the said block-carrier, has reversed itself, in which position of reversal it will have completed its ascent. It will be also apparent that, if now the carrier pivot pins are caused to descend, the reverse action of the tumbler pins and pin ways in connection with said descent of the carrier pivot pins, 'will occasion the reverse tumbling, partial rotation, or oscillation of the carrier until it has again reversed itself and assumed itsformer position upon the bed. a

The specific means by which the ascentand descent of the block-carriers is occasioned is not of importance, and many devices may beemployed for the purpose. 7 I have found'the following to be suitablev contrivances for actuating the block-carriers:-Exterior to the outside faces of the standards the carrier pivot pins are journaled in pitman couplings Z, of

any usual or preferred construction, connected with the upper extremities of carrier pitmen gaged with a' beveled spur wheel 0 mounted upon and rotatable with the driving shaft.

It will be apparent that the rotation of the beveled spur wheel 0 with the driving shaft will occasion the reverse rotation of the beveled pinions'a with which it is engaged and of their crank shafts N, andthe consequent reverse throw of the associated carrier cranks M and pitmen L. As, however, the engagement of the beveled spur wheel with thevbeveled pinions is such that when the block carrier has complete] y descended both of the cranks of said carrier are down and lying in theLsame vertical plane, or in the position represented in Figs. 1, 4 and 5, itis apparent that, although the cranks travel in opposite directionstheylwill, when the block-carrier has ascended, both stand up in the same vertical plane, as shownin Fig. 3, and, that, therefore, it is inconsequential that their respective rotations or throws happen to be in opposite directions.

The pitman couplings Z are preferably provided with an adjusting bolt Z or other preferred adjusting device, by the aid of which an exact adjustment of the stroke, so to speak, of the block-carriers can be effected,

and the block-carriers caused to impinge with, a greater .or less pressure respectively upon the fabric on the bed and. against the colorsupplying devices. v V

In order readily to permit of the throwing out of action of any particular block-carrier, each beveled. spur wheel O is con veniently feathered upon the driving shaft and provided with a bifurcated lever O Fig. 7, suitably fulcrumed and conveniently engaged with a groove in or a collar upon the hub of the spur wheel, by the throw of which lever the spur wheelwith which it is connected can be slid along the shaft out of engagernent with the beveled pinions in connectionwith which it normally operates. Instead of the foregoing lever and feather'contrivance, it is obvious.

that any usual clutch cont-rivance-may be feath ered upon the shaft, and the spur wheel be adapted to be run free upon said shaft in continuous engagement with its pinions but inert to rotate them when its clutch, which is fixed upon the shaft, is out of engagement withit, the said spur wheel.

Block-carrier-actuating devices of the foregoing, or of any otherpreferred construction, being arranged in series correspondent with the series of block-carriers, are, as is apparent, organized to alternately occasion the. simultaneous tumbling descent of all of the block-- carriers and their simultaneous tread upon the fabric on the bed an instant after the said fabfeed bars are retreating out of engagement with'the' fabric to seize the fabric fora further advance during the period when the blockcarriers are ascending, and advancing with the fabricin-their grip during the period when the block-carriers are descending from their forward to receive their impression. I

As will be apparent by a reference to the drawings, all of the block-carriers of the series employed, when upon the fabric, arerespectively disposed apart adistance exactly equal to the breadth of a carrier, and, as

stated, each advance of the fabric by the feed is a distance equal to the breadth of acarrier.v It'will therefore be understood that the imprint of each block after the first, as said blocks are successively caused totread upon the fabric, will be made upon that surface area of said fabric which has received the impression of said first block, andthat, therefore, all of the blocks serve in turn toprint 'color supplying devices to said fabric so fed their part of a given pattern, or design to be printed, in given colors upon said fabric.

The color feed.The gist of my invention residing in the combination in an automatic machine of an intermittently operating feed acting upon the fabric to be printed, with a series of tumbling, oscillatory, or reciprocating reversing, block carriers, and with colorsupplying devices adapted to supply color to said carriers,it is apparent that it is not of the essence of the said invention, the gist of which, as stated, resides in the combination of the three foregoing elements, in connection, of course, with suitable mechanical means for occasioning their concomitant operation, what form of color-supplying devices, broadly as such, are employed to supply color to the faces of the said printing blocks, and many forms of color-feed may, in fact, be employed. I prefer, however, to employ a series of independent color-feeds ofthe following novel con struction, one of which opcratesin connection with a given bloclccarrier, and which in series operate with the carriers in corresponding series, and which are conveniently supported upon the slotted standards in connection with which said carrier operates. Each of these color feeds being of the same construction, I will describe but one of them, it being the fact, as stated, that a series corresponding in number with the series of block carriers is employed.

The color feed, Figs. 8, 9 and 10,.consists essentially of an intermittently operated endless apron P for supplying color, preferably but not necessarily formed of a web of oil cloth or. other fibrous or textile fabric, and traveling over parallel rollers, one of which 1) is a driving roller to which motion of rotation is at intervals imparted, and the other an idler or driven roller 19" taking its motion from the belt. The gudgeons p of each of these rollers are respectively contained in adjustable boxes 12'' mounted in apair of connected parallel side frames Q. The said frames are adapted to be supported above the bed in any preferred manner, conveniently by being connected tothe slotted standards of the frame work, and they serve to contain between them the bottom board q of a color trough combined with the apron, and what I term a pad board q over the under face of which is stretched a pad or web q of felting, rubber, or other pre ferred material, over which the active surface of the endless apron travels after it emerges from the trough, and which serves as an elastic or resilient surface for cushioning the print ing block when pressed by its .ascended carrier against said apron upon said pad. The bottom board and pad board are not necessarily separate boards, but it is convenient to make them so and to connect them by bolts Q3 as shown in Fig. 10. In order to permit of the ready application and removal of the pad q, the latter is conveniently stretched lengthwise along the under surface of the pad board,

turned up over both its ends, and secured upon pins q applied in recessed portions of said pad board as shown in said Fig. 10.

The pad board and bottom board, together supporting the passive surface of the apron, constitute wit-h said apron the bottom of the trough, the sides g of which are constituted by two independent upright boards conveniently affixed to the side frames by being bolted thereto as shown in Figs. 8 and 9, and the end of which trough is constituted by a transverse doctor q, adj ustably connected with the extremities of the sides by means of threaded lugs 11 engaged with adjusting doctor bolts g threaded through bearings q fixed upon said sides of the trough. As the side frames and apron in their mounting upon or with respect to the framework of the machine have an inclination downwardly from the feeding to the delivery end of the. machine, and as the apron travels in the direction of the length of the machine, it is apparent that the paint or liquid coloring matter will be contained between the sides f and the doctor and will rest directly upon the passive surface of the apron or upon that portion ofsaid apron which for the time being happens to be between the sides of the trough.

Motion imparted to the driving roller of the apron to occasion its rotation in the direction of the arrows in Figs. 1 and 8, will, as is obvious,thc apron being stretched taut between the two rollers under a tension determinable by the roller bolts 1)", -cause the travel of the apron downwardly through the trough and beneath the edge of the doctor which is set to bear upon the breast of the driving roll; and the said apron in its travel from beneath the doctor will carry out from the trough, evenly spread, or brushed, so to speak, across its surface, such suflicient quantity of the paint as the set of the doctor will permit to escape, and the paint coated apron .as to its active surface, or that portion of it which for the time being presents beneath the pad, will be a color-supplying device adapted to evenly, smoothly, and equally apply the paint to the entire face of the printing block pressed against it.

In the operation of the machine, a suitable amount of the desired paint, or other liquid coloring matter, is applied within each trough; and the troughs, as is apparent, can be readily cleaned to receive paints of different color, the apron itself being readily scraped free of any particular paint by adjusting the set of the doctor to accomplish such result.

'The color-feed apron actuating devices-All of the aprons are, as stated, intended to beintermittently and simultaneously advanced in order to present a fresh coated surface to their printing blocks each time the latter are ele vated against them. The means by which this intermittent advance of the aprons may be occasioned is not of importance, and many devices can be employed for the purpose. I-

have found a suitable contrivance to be the following, which I describe with reference to a single apron and as a single device,al though 1t is repeated with each apron of the series and is illustrated as double: p

Referring now especially to Figs. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 8, 9, and l5,-one ofthe gudgeons p of the driving apron roller is prolonged beyond its box 11 and provided with a fixed sprocket wheel j over which passes an endless sprocket chain J which, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, passes also over'and is engaged with an upper idler sprocket wheel j bracketed off from the upper part of the slotted standard, and a lower idler sprocket wheel j bracketed off from the side frame in line below the upper sprocket wheel j. The sprocket chain passing over these three sprocket wheels traverses a path which will be understood by a'reference to Fig. 1, and is as to a portion of said path parallel with and adjacent to the vertical slot in the standard. It is apparent that motion imparted to said sprocket chain in the direction of the arrows applied to it in Fig. 1, willoceasion the rotation of the apron driving roller with which it is connected in the direction of the arrows applied to said roller in Figs. 1 and 8, or in that direction which is necessary to advance the apronfrom out the trough across the face of the pad. The device which I employ for occasioning this movement of the chain is a chain pawl j mounted upon or suitably connected with 'the adjacent block-carrier coupling Z, and controlled by apawl springj, as shown in Fig. 15. As the carrier pitman under consideration by reason of the throw of its platen crank is caused to ascend the chain pawl engages the sprocket chain and occasions such movement of said chain as willcause the necessary advance of the apron. The descent of the carrier pitman is without effect upon said sprocket chain as the pawl slips loosely over it elevating its springs. The chains are shown as doubled, two being applied to each apron driving roller one upon each side. It will, therefore, from a consideration of the movement of the carrier cranks, be apparent that the apron is advanced during the period when its block carrier is in the throw of its cranks ascending, and that it is stationary during the periodof the descent of said block carrier and until after it leaves the surface of the apron.

Such being a description of the color-feed which I prefer to employ, it is apparent that the angle at which the apronis setso long as it is sufficient to afford, as stated, in connection with the doctorand the sides g a trough to contain liquid,i's not material, and that it is simply necessary to adjust the stroke of the carrier pitmen in such manner that they will cause at the moment they eompletetheir ascent a firm pressure of their printing blocks against the under face of the color supplied apron upon the elastic bed.

In conclusion it is proper for me to state that it is immaterial by what specific mechani-.

cal means the tumbling, oscillation, partial rotation, or reversal of the block carriers be occasioned, it being simply essential that they should be tumbled, partly oscillated or partly rotated, or reversed, both in their-ascent and descent; that it is immaterial in what manner the mechanism for'occasioning their ascent and descent be applied to said block carriers,

although the construction which I have represented is that which I prefer; that as stated it is possible to operate the machine with a feed adapted to grip but one edge of the fabric, although it is preferable that the feed should act upon both edges; that, as stated, it is preferable to apply some such arresting devices as the toe cams to the feed end of the bed as well as to the delivery end, in order to guard against the possible retreat of the fabric upon the bed before it reaches the delivery end of said bed; and that other changes in mechanical detail especially as relating to the .blockcarrier actuating devices, the feedoperating devices, and-the color apron-operating devices can obviously be resorted to without departure from the invention.

In Fig. 18'I have represented a modified form of blockcarrier which is provided with tumbler plates 75 of considerable depth and weight, each of which is provided with a single curved tumbler pin way It which is in continuous engagement with a single tumbler pin 75 projecting from the slotted standard. This block-carrier is hung upon and turns with respect to carrier pivot pins I as in the case of the carriers first described, but receives its movement of tumbling or reversal through the action of the two single tumbler pins in engagement with its curved pin ways. 'In the drawings the tumbler plate nearest the eye,

which is drawn in full lines, is represented in the position which it occupies when the carrier.

is down upon the bed, while it is also represented in'dotted lines with the carrier up against the colorapron- In the operation of this tumbling platen the weight of the prolonged or extended tumbler plates, or more strictly speaking, of that portion of said plates which is most remote from the carrier and be-.

yond the pivot pins causes said plates to serve modified contri'vance for operating the color aprons, and which I describe with referenceto a single apron, although it is to be represented with each apron of the'series:-Qne of the gudgeons p of the driving apron roller is pro-' longed beyond its box 10 and provided with a fixed ratchetfaced' clutch collar 1', and also provided with'a sliding ratchet faced clutch sleeve r the ratchet face of which is the retremity of which is connected with a strap spring S connected with the frame-work, and the intermediate portion of which is wrapped once or twice about the clutch sleeve so as to frictionallyembrace the latterand occasion its trotation as the strap is drawn in either direcion.

The operation will be readily understood: Assuming the carrier cranks to which the strap is secured at the top of its throw,the descent of said crank to its lowermost position will occasion such draft upon thestrap as will rotate the clutch sleeve in engagement with its collar, and consequently rotate the apron driving roller in the direction of the arrow in Fig. 6, or that direction which is necessary to advance the apron from out the trough across the face of the pad. The subsequent move ment of the carrier crank from its lowermost to its uppermost position and the consequent slackening of the strap, will then permit the strap'spring to take up the slack of the strap, and occasion the free rotation of the clutch sleeve against the clutch collar, the respective ratchet faces of said sleeve and collar being so formed as to slip over each other during such action. Itwill therefore, from aconsideration of the movement of the carrier crank, be ap parent that the apron is advanced during the period when its platen is, in the throw of its cranks, descending, and that it is stationary during the period of the ascent of said platen, and until after it leaves the surface of the apron.

Having thus described myinvention, I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United Statcs:- V

1. In an oil cloth printing machine, the following elements in combination :first, a bed upon which the fabric to be printed is laid and along which it is caused to travel ;-secend, an intermittently operating fabric-feed which acts upon the fabric to occasion its in termittent predetermined advauce;-third, a series of reciprocating reversing printing- DIOClC-GLII'IQYS, which alternately simultaneously descend upon the fabric to print it and simultaneously ascend against color-feeds and, fourth, a series of color-feeds which supply color to the printing faces of the block-carriers; substantially as set forth.

2. In an oil-cloth printing machine, the following elements in combinationz-first, a bed upon which the fabric to be printed is laid and along which it is caused to travel; second, an intermittently operating fabric-feed which acts upon the fabric to occasion its intermittent predetermined advance; third, fabric feedoperating devices which occasion the advance and retreat of the fabric-feed; fourth, a series of reciprocating reversing printing block carriers, which alternately simultaneously descend upon the fabric to print it and simultaneously ascend against the color-feeds; fifth, block- 'carrier actuating devices which alternately occasion the simultaneous descent and the simultaneous ascentof the block carriers; and, sixth, a series of color-feeds which supply color to the printing faces ofthe block-carriers; substantially as set forth.

3. In an oil cloth printing machine, the following elements in combinations-first, a bed upon which the fabric to be printed is laid and along which it is caused to travel; second, an intermittently operating fabric feed which acts upon both edges ofthe fabric to occasion its intermittent advance, and which is composed of two pairs of connected parallel feed bars; third,a series of reciprocating reversing printing block carriers, which alternately simultaneously descend upon the fabric to print it and simultaneously ascend against color-feeds; and, fourth, a series of color-feeds which supply color to the printing faces of the block carriers; substantially as set forth.

4. In an oil cloth printing machine, the following elements in combinationz-first, a bed upon which the fabric to be printed is laid and along which it is caused to travel; second, an intermittently operating fabric feed which acts upon the fabric to occasion its intermittent predetermined advance; third,a series of reciprocating reversing printing block carriers, which alternately simultaneously descend upon the fabric to print it and simultaneously ascend against color-feeds; fourth, a series of color-feeds which supply color to the printing faces of the block carriers, and are each composed essentially of an endlessapron operating in connection with a color trough; substantially as set forth.

5. In an oil cloth printing machine, the following elements in combination: first, a bed upon which the fabric to be printed is laid and along which it is caused to travel; second, an intermittently operating fabric-feed which acts upon both edges of the fabric to occasion its intermittent advance, and which is composed of two pairs of connected parallel feed bars; third, a series of reciprocating reversing printing block carriers, which alternately simultaneously descend upon the fabric to print it and simultaneously ascend against colorfeeds; and, fourth, a series of color feeds which supply color to the printing faces of the block carriers, and are each composed essentially of an endless apron operating in connect-ion with a color trough; substantially as set forth.

6. In an oil cloth printing machine, the folfeeds; fifth, block-carrier-actuating devices which alternately'occasion thesimultaneous descent and the simultaneous ascent of the block carriers; and, sixth, a series of color-feeds which supply color to the printing faces of the block carriers, and are each composed essentially of an endless apron operating in connection with a color trough; substantially as set forth. v

7. In an oil cloth printing machine, the following elements in combination: first, a bed upon which the fabric to be printed is laid and along which it is caused to travel; second, an

' intermittently operating fabric-feed which acts upon both. edges of the fabric to occasion its intermittent advance, and which is composed of two pairs of connected parallel feed bars; third, fabricfeed-operating devices which occasion the advance and retreat of the fabricfeed; fourth, a series of reciprocating reversing printing block carriers, which alternately simultaneously descend upon the fabric to print it and simultaneously ascend against color-feeds; fifth, block-carrier-actuating devices which alternately occasion the simultaneous descent and the simultaneous ascent of the block carriers; sixth, color-feeds which supply color to the printing faces of the blockcarriers, and are each composed essentially of an endless apron operating in connection with a color trough; and, seventh, apron-operating devices which occasion the intermittent advance of the apron with respect to the color trough; substantially as set forth.

8. In an oil cloth printing machine, the following elements in combination :first, a bed upon which the fabric to be printed is laid and along which it is caused to travel; second, an intermittently operating fabric-feed which acts upon both edges of the fabric to occasion its intermittent advance, and which is composed of two pairs of connected parallel feed bars; third, oscillatory levers which occasion the advance and retreat of the feed bars; fourth, a series of reciprocating reversing printing block carriers, which alternately simultaneously descend upon the fabric to print it and simultaneously ascend against color feeds; fifth, cranks andpitmen which occasion the alternate ascent and descent of the block carriers; sixth, a series of color-feeds which supply color to the printing faces of the block carriers, and are each composed essentially of an endless apron operating in connection with a 'color trough; seventh, apron-operating devices which occasion the intermittentadvance of the apron with respect to the color trough; and, eighth, means, essentially, for instance, such as set forth, for occasioning the concomitant action of the feed levers, the carrier cranks and pitmen, and the apron-operating devices; substantially as set forth.

9. In an'oil cloth printing machine,'the following elements in combinationz-first, a bed upon which the fabric to be printed is laid and along which it is caused to travel; second, an intermittently operating fabric-feed which acts upon the fabric to occasion its intermittent predetermined advance; third, aseries of reeiprocating'reversing printing block carriers, which alternately simultaneously descend upon the fabric to print it and simultaneously ascend against color-feeds; fourth, a series of color-feeds which supply color to the printing faces of the block carriers; and, fifth, a: tension roller; substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

10. In an oil cloth printing machine, the followingelementsincombination:first,abed upon which the fabric to be printed is laid and along which it is caused to travel; second, an intermittently operating fabric-feed which acts upon the fabric to occasion its intermittent predetermined advance; third, a series of reciprocating reversing printing block carrier's, which alternatelysimultaneously descend upon the fabric to print it and simultaneously ascend against color-feeds; fourth, color feeds which supply color to the printing faces of the block-carriers; and, fifth, arresting devices,

essentially such as the toe cams, to prevent the accidental retreat of the fabric after its advance; substantially such as set forth.

11. A fabric-feed device for an oil cloth printing machine, which acts upon the edges of the fabric to be printed, and is composed essentially of two pairs of link-connected parallel bars, substantially as set forth.

12. In an oil cloth printing machine, the followingelementsin combination :-first,abed upon which the fabric to be printed is laid and along which it is caused to travel; second, ways formed in or applied to said bed; third, two pair of link-connected parallel bars, one of the bars of each of which-pair is adapted to travel in the aforesaid ways; fourth, means, essentially such as the feed levers, which occasion the intermittent reciprocation of the feed bars; and, fifth, means, essentially such as the feed cam, for occasioning the operation of the feed levers; substantially as set forth.

13. In combination with the feed bars, the lever housings provided each with a reversing face, a draft face, and an idle faee,the

oscillatory feed levers,-and means, essen--' tially such as set forth, for operating said levers, substantially as set forth.

14.. A color-supplying-device or color-feed for the printing block of an oil clothprinting IIO a with respect to whichit also travels, substantially as set forth.

16. A co'lor-supplyingdevice or color-feed for the printing block of an oil-cloth printing machine, which is composed, essentially, of an endless traveling apron with reference to which is mounted or superimposed a color trough with respect to which it, the said apron, travels,-which is also provided with a cushioned, elastic or resilient surface with respect to which it also travels,and which is also provided with a doctor to remove surplus color from it the said apron, substantially as set forth.

17. A. color-supplyingdevioe or color-feed for the printing block of an oil cloth printing machine, which is composed, essentially, of an endless traveling apron with reference to which is'mounted or superimposed a color trough with respect to which it,the said apron, travels,which is also provided with a cushioned, elastic,or resilient surface with respect to which it also travels,.-and which is also provided with adoctor to remove surplus color essentially such as set forth, which occasion the intermittent travel of the apron with respect to the trough; with a reciprocating reversing printing block carrier; with a bed upon which the fabric to be printed is laid and along which it is caused to travel; and with an intermittently operating fabric feed which actsupon the fabric to occasion its intermittent predetermined advance upon said bed; substantially as set forth.

19. The combination to form acolor-supplying device or color feed; of an endless traveling apron; a pair of rollers over which said apron travels; adjustable boxings with respect to which the rollers arejournaled; a cushion, pad, or other elastic or resilient surface, over which the active face of the apron travels; a frame-work for supporting said pad and the adjustable boxes of the rollers; a trough combined with said frame work, through which the passive surface of the apron travels and the floor of which trough is composed of said passive surface of said apron; and an adj ustable doctor which serves to remove surplus color from the apron after its passage through said trough, substantially asset forth.

In testimony whereof [have hereunto signed my name this 18th day of April, A. D. 1887.

NELSON LEWVIS TUCK.

In presence of J. BONSALL TAYLoR, WM. 0. STRAWBRIDGE. 

